Data stored in memory and/or storage media, such as hard disks, is susceptible to hardware and/or software errors caused by myriad of reasons. Such errors often lead to data corruption and/or loss, which negatively affect computing device operation and thus, user productivity and monetary loss. A file, for instance, may be rendered inaccessible or unreadable due to data corruption and/or data loss. A bad hard disk sector renders any data stored therein unreadable and thus, lost. File system corruption may result in a loss of entire files. Corrupted data, typically, includes incorrect data that can no longer be used in the file. These data errors represent only a fraction of the potential data errors that cause data loss and/or corruption.
Because data errors occur in conventional data storage systems, mitigating and/or preventing such data errors is a significant aspect of maintaining data integrity. Furthermore, protecting sensitive data is often considered an information customer requirement. One common solution implements a redundancy mechanism where redundant copies of data are organized to prevent data loss. Another common solution uses backup and restore mechanisms where a data backup allows a user to recover lost and/or corrupted data. Such solutions incur substantial costs, including from offline administration, and often allow data corruption to remain undetected.